Sudden Grace
by Zarius
Summary: Was this what it was like to have a death wish? (tag for 3x21)


**THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO**

**SUDDEN GRACE**

**WRITTEN BY ZARIUS**

* * *

_Was this what it was like to have a death wish? _Thought Kayo as the Mechanic insisted on staying behind on the Hex, the bomb left by the Chaos Crew ticking down the fatal few seconds to detonation.

She knew there was minimal chance of survival if she were to leave him behind, the space mines surrounding the station would all be triggered by the aftershock of the resulting explosion, and the entire area would be cleared. All but the moon and the Earth in orbit would remain.

She had to get out of there, and she had hoped to take the Mechanic with her.

_Did_ he really think this lowly of himself? She had tried to convince him most of his actions were due to the Hood having power over him, but he believed that he was just as responsible, that he wasn't strong enough.

She wondered if, perhaps, the idea that he thought of himself as a failure had something to do with it.

She had told him the T-Drive had exceeded his expectations that it had worked, and had sent Jeff Tracy to a far sector of space, a sector they badly needed to reach now using a new T-Drive they hoped would be built by him.

If they had reached him in time, they could have used careful negotiation, catered to his dented pride and ego by telling him when he was settled of the T-Drive's original achievement, and how they were struggling to put another one together.

Had they known the Chaos Crew were on their way to spring him, they could have arranged for him to have been moved beforehand.

Perhaps, even more selfishly, they could have broken him out of the Hex themselves and avoided the formalities with the GDF, or if the GDF had refused, but that just wouldn't be International Rescue and everyone would be in agreement with that.

No matter how much it hurt Scott.

The Hex had taken quite a battering in the skirmish with the Chaos Crew and their Cruiser, it was already beyond salvaging. The bomb's purpose was to _finish_ what they had started.

_Poor Rigby_ thought Kayo as her concerns turned to her former partner, who had been left in charge of The Mechanic, now drifting nearby awaiting rescue by Thunderbird 3, _he had one job, heaven knows what the GDF will think of him once Alan and I take him home. He was stationed where he was to keep him away from missions he was over his head on, this breach of security and destruction of GDF property may cost him his ranking entirely._

All these thoughts took a backseat as the Mechanic grabbed her by the waist and threw her out of a hole left in the station by the impact of a Chaos Cruiser missile.

Perhaps he wanted her to think of him as a callous monster, to shatter the last remaining vestiges of faith a person had in him that he could be redeemed.

An impression such as this, of course, all depended on whether or not someone caught her, and not _just_ anyone.

He was out there now, his feet perched atop a glider, striding through stars with precision skill, a little boy who stood taller out here than most men did on Earth.

Grabbing hold of him as he came closer was like grabbing hold of her whole world, for her partner Alan Tracy had always been viewed by her as the one beautiful soul she could rely on to keep her values validated.

In addition, of course, to being someone who could keep the child within her and all his brothers alive and free in such a maddeningly strict operation such as this.

Believing there was a triumph laying dormant within the pit of defeat, ready to climb out and eradicate all doubt, were values conceived by those with healthy childhoods, made wealthy by life and not profit, and Kayo depended on someone with the personality and passion of Alan to keep those views at the forefront of her mind and guide her throughout every phase of her life.

And, on occasions such as this, even help save her life in the process.

But that part was easy.

He had _always_ been one to let himself loose just to catch her.

In these moments of sudden grace, the validation came through yet again for Kayo, her trust in The Mechanic's judgements remained.

If only she could have convinced him of his vindication


End file.
